CHEM-465 CHEMISTRY SENIOR SEMINAR WEB-SITE CHECKLIST  AND EVALUATION CRITERIA

Creating a web-site entails the responsibility to strive for excellence. The quality of your site reflects not only on you but it also reflects on the course, the instructor(s), the department, and the university. Your web-site will be available to the world. It should be a product you will be proud of and want others, such as your family or potential employers, to admire. To achieve this will require early planning, group cooperation, focused research, and significant effort.

The following elements and characteristics will be associated with high quality web-sites.

• Web-sites should be attractive and well laid-out. However, form should not overwhelm substance. Both are important. The appearance of your web-site will encourage visitors to explore, so you should have a well-developed and fully documented argument to justify the added attention.

 
• While emotional arguments can be effective in gaining support for a position, such an approach without solid evidence is unethical in science. Every site must contain evidence that supports its position and is presented in a way that a visitor can understand and evaluate independently. Important information needs to be linked to verifiable sources such as PubMed, The Scientist, or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Make sure the links work and that the linked sites are the best you can find in support of your argument.

 
• The home-page for your web-site should fit on one or two computer screens. It should include a clear statement of your proposition and your group's position, a visual appropriate for the topic, and a directory (with links) to the rest of the site. Examples of local home pages with these characteristics include the University of Delaware, The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Problem-Based Learning.

 
• The authors and the currency of the site need to be apparent. List the members of your group at the bottom of the home page and all other linked pages that you create along with the date of the most recent modification. Each page needs to be linked to the e-mail addresses of the authors, the Senior Seminar home page, and this check-list and evaluation site.

 
• Although people frequently take positions on societal issues related to chemistry and biochemistry without understanding the underlying science, that is not an option here. Each web-site must include relevant (bio)chemical structures and processes, and relate them to the societal issue.

Authority/Credibility

• Are the authors identified?
• Do they provide a way to contact them?
• Is the purpose of the web site clearly stated?

Content

• Does the web site contain accurate reliable information?
• Is the date of its last up date given?
• Is the content meaningful and useful?
• Is the relevant chemistry presented and discussed?
• Does it contain original information?
• Is any sort of bias evident?
• Does the content appear to be fact or opinion?
• Are there links to substantive and relevant resources?
• Are the links up to date?
• Are the links annotated or evaluated?
• Do multimedia and graphical elements help you understand the content?
• Are grammar and spelling correct?

Design and Technical Features

• Is the web site well laid out and logically organized?
• Is the web site attractive?
• Is the textual material well written and easy to read?
• Are the pages uncluttered with useful headings and subheadings?
• Do icons represent what is intended?
• Is the design consistent through out the site?
• Can you print the contents of the page?

Navigation

• Can you move around the web site easily?
• Do external and internal links work?
• Are the links clearly and accurately described?
• Can you easily return to the home page from supporting pages?